Areas of Specialization

Ancient philosophy, history of ethics.

Areas of Competence

Metaphysics, political philosophy, early modern philosophy, philosophy of language, twentieth century analytic philosophy, history of ethics, formal logic, aesthetics.

Education

Syracuse University: Ph.D. in Philosophy, 1993

Dissertation: Ontological Questions Reconsidered: A Response to van Inwagen's Material Beings

Advisor: Peter van Inwagen

University of Kentucky: M.A. in Philosophy, 1987

Asbury College: B.A. magna cum laude in Biblical Languages, 1985

Published Articles

“Political Freedom and the Organic Theory of the State,” forthcoming in Journal of Value Inquiry

“Reflections on Piety: Euthyphro as Modern Man,” Humanitas 15 (2002, 2)

“Ethical Individualism and the Natural Law,” Ratio 13 (March, 2000)

“A Minimalist Ethic of Duty,” Journal of Philosophical Research 25 (2000)

“Political Organicism in the Crito,” Ancient Philosophy 19 (1999)

“How Not to Have an Ontology of Physical Objects,” Philosophical Studies 94 (June 1999)

“Do the Closest Counterfactual Worlds Contain Miracles?” Pacific Philosophical Quarterly 73 (June 1992)

“Epistemic Obligations and Doxastic Voluntarism,” Analysis 51 (March 1991)

Papers in Progress

“Van Inwagen's Replay Thought Experiment”

“Kantianism without Rigorism”

“Aristotle and van Inwagen on Substance”

Book Reviews

McLean, Edward, Common Truths: New Perspectives on Natural Law, in Continuity, forthcoming

Monoson, S. Sara, Plato's Democratic Entanglements: Athenian Politics and the Practice of Democracy, in Polis 18 (2001) 168-73

Other Publications

“Aristophanes,” in Ready Reference: Censorship ( Pasadena: Salem Press), 1997

“Bertrand Russell,” in Ready Reference: Censorship ( Pasadena: Salem Press), 1997

Addresses

“Life as the Human Good,” to be presented at Written on the Heart: The Tradition of Natural Law, a conference at Calvin College, May 13-15

Comments on “Meta-ontology and Existence as Instantiation,” by Patrick Toner, American Philosophical Association, Pacific Division, to be presented March 26, 2004

“Aquinas' Theory of Law,” at the Puget Sound Medieval Symposium, Seattle Pacific University, Jan. 20, 2004

Panel presentation on the Patriot Act and intellectual freedom, sponsored by the School of Information Science, University of Washington, October 29, 2003

“ The Lord of the Rings and the Meaning of Life,” at “Celebrating Middle Earth: J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings as a Defense of Western Civilization,” Seattle Pacific University, November 10, 2001. Presented again at the Lord of the Rings Film and Lecture Festival, Seattle Pacific University, Jan. 16, 2004.

“ The Organic Theory of the Polis: Plato's Alternative to Liberalism and Communitarianism,” to the Society for the Contemporary Assessment of Platonism,” Pacific Division of the American Philosophical Association, April 6, 2000

“Ethical Individualism and the Natural Law,” to the Pacific Northwest Conference on Philosophy, Oct. 30, 1998

“Natural Law and the Meaning of Life,” to the G. K. Chesterton Society, Seattle, WA, April 1, 1998

“The Basic Principles of Natural Law Morality,” European Studies Symposium, Seattle Pacific University, Feb. 26, 1998

“Wesleyan Higher Education,” Inaugural Lecture Series, Seattle Pacific University, May 9, 1997

Commented on papers on Kant and Voegelin at a meeting of the Eric Voegelin Society, August 1996

“The Meaning of Life: Woody Allen vs. Aristotle,” European Studies Symposium, Seattle Pacific University, Feb. 29, 1996

Comments on “Character and Moral Responsibility,” by Denis Arnold, Pacific Northwest Conference on Philosophy, Gonzaga University, Oct. 27, 1995

“Was Kant a Moral Rigorist?” Pacific Northwest Conference on Philosophy, Gonzaga University, October 28, 1995

“The Interpretation of Kant's Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals,” European Studies Symposium, Seattle Pacific University, Feb. 24, 1994

Comments on “Causal Necessity Within a Humean Framework,” by Eric Reitan, presented to the Creighton Club (New York State Philosophical Association), October 1992

“Conceptual Relativism,” presented at a Syracuse University graduate student colloquium, October 1991

“Conventionalism about the Necessary A Posteriori,” presented at the annual Cornell University-Syracuse University graduate student colloquium, May 1991

“Sequential Counterfactuals,” presented to the Creighton Club (New York State Philosophical Association), April 1991

“Wittgenstein on Aesthetic Judgment,” presented to the Kentucky Philosophical Association, April 1988

Other Professional Activity

President, Washington Association of Scholars (www.wascholars.org), since May 2000. Organized public lectures by Glynn Custred, Alan Kors, Shelby Steele.

Director, the G. K. Chesterton Society, Seattle, WA, 2001-2004. I organized monthly lectures and social gatherings for students.

Attended Summer Seminar in Christian Scholarship at Calvin College . Title: “Written on the Heart: The Tradition of Natural Law.” Director: Jay Budziszewski. Summer, 2003.

Attended Intercollegiate Studies Institute colloquium, “ Liberty and Liberal Education,” October, 2002

Refereed articles for Faith and Philosophy, Ancient Philosoph y, Australasian Journal of Philosophy

Chaired sessions at Pacific APA, Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy

Faculty mentor for the Pacific Northwest Honors Program, Intercollegiate Studies Institute. Attended conference on “Culture and Anarchy”

Attended Salvatori conference on American Politics and the Future of Constitutional Government, Heritage Foundation, June 2000

Taught a course on “Philosophers Since the Renaissance” to the Women's University Club of Seattle, 1998-99

Attended a three-week Calvin College Summer Seminar in Christian Scholarship on St. Anselm, July 1998

Attended conference on work of C. S. Lewis, June 1998

Participated in Liberty Fund Colloquium on religion in early America, September 1997

Attended nine-day Salvatori Seminar on the American Founding, Heritage Foundation, June 1996

Professional Affiliations

American Philosophical Association

American Catholic Philosophical Association

International Plato Society

National Association of Scholars

Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy

Foreign Languages

I read Classical Greek. My knowledge of Hebrew and German is adequate for following most scholarly discussions of texts in these languages.

Teaching Experience

2000-Present Tenured Associate Professor of Philosophy, Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, WA
Courses taught: University Seminar (“The Meaning of Life”) ; Faith and Philosophy ; History of Ethics ; Metaphysics ; Aesthetics ; Ancient Philosophy ; Topics in Political Philosophy: Philosophical Implications of the French Revolution ; Belief, Morality and the Modern Mind ; Senior Capstone in Philosophy

1993-2000 Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, WA
Courses taught: University Seminar (“The Meaning of Life”) ; Faith and Philosophy ; Metaphysics ; The Empiricists ; Philosophy of Language ; Aesthetics ; Ancient Philosophy ; Twentieth Century Philosophy ; The Rationalists and Kant ; Political Philosophy

1992-93 Instructor, Department of Philosophy, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY
Courses taught: Critical Thinking, Introduction to Philosophy

1989-90, 91-92 Instructor, Department of Philosophy, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
Course taught: Theories of Knowledge and Reality

1988-89 Teaching Assistant, Department of Philosophy, Syracuse University
Courses taught: Introduction to Ethics, Introduction to Logic

1985-88 Instructor, Department of Philosophy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
Courses taught: Introduction to Logic, Introduction to Ethics

Community Service

Assistant Coach, Interbay Football Club, Northwest Junior Football League

Coach, Magnolia Little League

Director, G. K. Chesterton Society

President, Washington Association of Scholars

Other Activities and Awards

Taught course on “Philosophers since the Renaissance” to the Women's University Club of Seattle, 1998-99

Vice-president, Washington Association of Scholars, 1998-99

Selected to participate in Calvin College Summer Seminar on St. Anselm, 1998 (director, Eleonore Stump)

Syracuse University Teaching Assistantship, 1988-90, 1991-92

Syracuse University Graduate Fellowship, 1990-91

President, Syracuse University graduate students in philosophy, 1990-91

Syracuse University Scholarship, 1988-92

Syracuse University summer research grant, 1990

President, University of Kentucky graduate students in philosophy, 1987-88

Partial University Fellowship, University of Kentucky, 1987-88

Personal

Born May 29, 1963, in Atlanta, Georgia . Married Jennifer Preston 1985. We have 3 children, Joseph, 9, Susanna, 6 and Rebecca, 2.

References

Available on request.

pgoggans@spu.edu
(206) 281-2080